Steam iron



E. O. MORTON l Dec. 9, 1947.

STEAM IRON Filed Dec. 5, 1944 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR m o o. 0f D E w a. m

Y E N R O n A Dec. 9, 1947. E, G. MORTON 2,432,205 v STEAM IRON Filed Deo. 5, 1944 2 sheets-shet 2 INVENTOR E LDPEU O.' Non Ton A oRNEY Patented Dec. 9, 1947 STEAM IRON `Eldred 0. Morton, Manseld, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pitts- Aburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania.

Application December 5, 1944, Serial No. 566,698

(o1. as-'m 13 Claims.

MyA invention relates to an electric steam iron of the type in which the tank containing the liquid to be dashed into steam is carried by the iron. l One object of my invention is to produce an improved iron of the type set forth.

Afurther object is to produce improved means the water becomes discolored from sediment, etc.

in the tank or in soleplate passages.

It is, therefore, a. further object of my invention to produce improved means for preventing the liquid from entering the vent pipe and reaching the fabric through the steam discharge ports.

A still further object of the invention is to produce improved means whereby only a-v predetermined, limited amount of liquid may be introduced into the tank of the iron.

It has heretofore been the general practice to fill the tank of a steam iron while-the iron is dis.- posed in a horizontal position. 'I'his is satisfactory when the iron is cold. When the' iron is hot it must either be lifted from the ironing board, or it must be placed on a special stand, While the tank is being lled, in order to prevent Scorch-'- ingof the ironing board or other supporting surface.

The present tendency is to dispense with special stands and to so construct the heel rest of the iron that, regardless ofthe soleplate temperature, the iron may be up-ended or stood on its heel rest without damaging the ironing board or other supporting surface. In order to give the iron sufcient stability, the heel rest is so arranged that the iron has a minimum tipping angle of about 8 in any direction.

It is, therefore, a still further object to provide improved means by which liquid may be introduced into the tank of the iron while the iron is up-ended or stood on its heel rest, and by which liquid, in excess of a. predetermined amount, will spill out towards or over the handle instead of towards or over the body of the iron.

A still further object is to produce, improved means for introducing liquid into the tank of an iron. which, when not in use. is concealed within and appears to form part of the handle ofthe 2 iron, thus presenting van attractive and streamlined appearance.

A still further object is to produce improved means for introducing liquid into the tank of an iron whichis easy to operate and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

A still further object of my invention is to produce improved means for introducing liquid into the tank in which the need -for threaded packing glands is eliminated, soy as to produce a compact structure and to reduce the cost of maintenance.

These and other objects are effected by. my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and I partly in section, of an electric steam iron einbodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a. view, on an enlarged scale, similar to Fig. 1, showing the iron 11p-ended on its heel rest, and showing the means for introducing liquid into the tank, in the open position;

g5 Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the parts; and

Fig. 4 is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on line V-V of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown an iron including a soleplate I0, a shell or cover I2 and a handle I4. Within the cover I2 is enclosed a tank I6 adapted to contain a liquid,

such as water, to be converted into steam or vapor and discharged onto the fabric being-ironed. The Water is flashed into steam in a steam-generating chamber S, to which water is delivered in regulated quantities through a valve-V. The thermostat for regulating the temperature ofthe iron, the means for adjusting the thermostat, and the means for regulating the valve V, form no partv or screws 28. The tank I6 is provided with a tubular extension or steam dome 30 which is housed in a. recess formed in the f ront portion of the handle. The steam dome is brazed, welded 3 or otherwise secured to the top of the tank in iiuid tight fashion at 32.

The steam-flow passage 20 is connected to the steam dome 30, and hence to the interior of the tank I6, by a tubular member 34. The lower end of this tubular member extends through the bottom of the tank and through an opening 36 in the cover plate 24, into the steam-dow passage. In order to prevent leakage of steam around the lower end of the tubular member, a gasket 38 and a washer 40 are seated in a recess 42, formed in the cover` plate 24, and are compressed by a spring 44 confined between the bottom of the tank and the washer. Also. the lower end of the tubular member 34 is brazed, welded or otherwise secured in fluid tight relation to the bottom of the tank I6 at 46. 'Ihe upper end of the tubular member 34 is provided with a side opening 48 which communicates with the steam dome 30.

When the parts are assembled, the upper end of the tubular member abuis against thevtop Wall 50 of the steam dome, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The tank I6, dome 30 and tubular member 34 thus constitute a unitary sub-assembly which, in the illustrated embodiment, is detachably secured to the soleplate by a screw 52 which extends through the tubular member, as disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Roy H. Edwards, Serial No. 583,903, filed March 21, 1945. The screw passes through an opening 54 in the top of the steam dome, and threadedly engages the soleplate at 56. The opening 54 is closed by a suitable gasket 58. The tubular member 3.4 thus serves as a vent for equalizlng the pressure between the steam passage 20 and the interior of the tank i6, and as aypassage for the screw 52.

The screw 52 is also used to secure the front end of the handle in position. To this end, the screw passes through an apertured plate or washer 53 which engages a shoulder 55 formed in the upper surface of the handle. The washer is thus disposed between the head of the screw and the shoulder 55. Therefore, when the screw 52 is tightened, the washer 53 clamps the front end of the handle down upon the adjacent portion of the cover I2. The rear end of the handle is secured to the cover and the soleplate by a similar screw not shown.

The improved structure for introducing liquid into the tank embodying my invention includes a tube 60 disposed within the steam doine and having an opening 62. It will be noted that the opening B2 is formed in the side of the tube which faces the nose of the iron, so that water may be poured in through the opening, while the iron is rested on its heel. In this position, the opening 62 is below the frontend of the tank and thus limits the amount of liquid that may be introduced to the tank. The tube 60 is provided with a botte-m flange 64 and an upper connecting lug 66. The lug 66 is small enough to pass through an opening 68 in the top wall of the steam dome and is adapted to t within a recess 10 formed in the under side of an operating knob 12. The tube 60 is detachably securedl to the knob l2 by a screw 14 engaging a through opening 18 in the knob l2 and threadedly engaging the tapped opening 'I6 in the lug G6. The opening B8 is closed in iluid tight manner by a gasket 80 carried by the under side of the-operating knob l2. The tubular member 60 andthe knob 'l2 are normally urged downwardly to closed position by a spring 82 confined between the bot- 4 tom flange 64 of the sleeve and the top wall ll of the steam dome.

The front portion of the handle is cut away or recessed to provide a seat for the knob 12, and the knob, which is preferably made of the same material as the handle, is so shaped as to t within the recess, as best shown in Fig. 2. By this means, the knob forms part of and merges with the streamlined contour of the handle to present a neat and attractive appearance, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order further to limit the amount of liquid that may be admitted into the tank, and in order to minimize sloshing of the liquid within the tank as the iron is moved back and forth, the tank is provided with a cup-shaped baille 84 which is disposed within the tank, with the open end 88 thereof facing towards the rear of the iron. The baille 84 is suitably secured in position, and is so arranged with relation to the interior of the tank that, when the iron is in horizontal position, liquid can ilow from the interior of the baffle to the interior of the tank, and from any portion of the tank to another.

The iron is provided with a heel rest which is so constructed that, when the iron is up-ended, it will make an angle of about 5 to 15 with the perpendicular, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Operation When it is desired to introduce liquid into the tank, the iron is stood on its heel rest and the knob 12 is pulled outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. Water, or other liquid, poured through the opening 62, finds its way past the baule 84 to the lower end of the tank. As the liquid level rises, the open end 86 of the baille is engulfed and an air pocket is formed in the upper, closed end thereof. This prevents the water from completely filling the baille. The upper portion 88 of the baille, as viewed in Fig, 2, thus remains empty. Exteriorly of the baffle the liquid continues to rise until it reaches the level of the bottom of the opening 62, and any excess liquid will flow out through the opening. Therefore, since it extends well above the opening 62, the upper portion 90 of the tank remains empty. When the knob 12 is released, the spring. 82 returns the parts to the closing position, shown in Fig. 1.

In connection with the filling mechanism, means is also provided for holding the knob 12 and the tube 60 in their out-er position as shown in Fig. 2, while liquid is being poured through the opening 62. This eliminates the necessity of the operator retaining the tube 60 in its outer position, against the tension of the spring 82, with one hand, while water is being poured into the opening 62 with the other hand.

As shown, the rear edge of the knob 12 is provided with a projection 94, and the adjacent portion of the handle is provided with a recess 96 of suiiclent width to permit easy insertion therein of the projection 94 and of sufllcient length to receive the entire projection when the knob is in the closed position shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to flll the tank, the knob 12 is pulled outwardly until the projection 94 clears the recess 96, and the knob and the tube are then rotated about the axis of the tube to bring the projection 94 into alignment with a land or shoulder 98 provided in a portion of the handle adjacent the recess 96. When the knob is released the spring 82 causes the projection 84 to abut against the shoulder 98 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In this way the lling mechanism is retained in its outer liquid receiving position during the lling operation. When the tllling operation is over. the operator rotates theknob 12 until the'projection 94 again registers with the recess Si. The knob is then released and the spring 82 returns the parts to the closed position shown in Fig. 1. l

Due to the fact that the baille and the tank are not completely filled, the level of the liquid in the tank will, when the iron is returned to its horizontal position, be belowl the bottom of the steam dome. This, together with reduction of sloshing by the baille, prevents the liquid from entering the vent tube 34 through the steam dome 30 and the opening 4l.

Since the iron is inclined from about 5 to 15 degrees to the perpendicular, the tube 60, and the adjacent face-92 of the handle immediately below the tube 80, slope to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2 so that excess liquid, overflowing through the opening 62, will ilow toward, or over, the handle instead of over the body of the iron or between the handle and body of the iron.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and rnodications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is: f

l. The combination with a steam' iron having a tank adapted to receive a liquid, and a heel rest on which the iron may be up-ended while liquid is being poured into said tank, of means for introducing liquid to said tank, said means including a tube having an inlet opening in one side adjacent one end thereof', said tube being movable through a wall of the tank into a first position in which said opening is disposed within the tank and to a second position in which said opening is disposed externally of the tank so that liquid may be admitted therethrough into the tank.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 in which said heel rest is so constructed and arranged that, when the iron is up-ended and the tube has been moved to the second position, the end of the tube adjacent the opening and the opening, will be lower than the other end of the tube.

3. 'I'he structure recited in claim 1 together with means normally biasing said tube -to its first position.

4. The combination with a steam iron having a handle, a tank adapted to receive liquid, and a heel rest on which said iron may be up-ended while liquid is being poured into said tank, a tube communicating with said tank for pouring liquid therelnto, said tube being movable into pouring and non-pouring positions, and a manipulating knob secured to said tube, there being a recess in said handle in which said knob fits when said tube is in non-pouring position, the contour of said knob being such as to merge with and present the appearance of being a part of the contour and structure of said handle.

5. A steam iron comprising a tank adapted to receive liquid, a handle, a heel rest on which said iron may be up-ended while liquid is poured into said tank, there being an opening formed through the portion of the handle adjacent the nose of said iron, a tubularv extension carried by the top'of said tank and disposed in said opening, a tube, a spring biasing said tube to a position of concealment within said extension, and a manipulating knob secured to said tube whereby extension against the action of said spring, said ended, of means for introducing liquid into said tank while said iron is up-ended, including a tube communicating with said tank and normally concealed in a recess in the front portion of said iron, there being an inlet opening in Ithe-side of vsaid tube facing the nose of the iron,. said tube being movable out of said recess in a substantially horizontal plane, when said iron is up-ended,.'to expose said opening for receiving the liquid to be introduced into said tank.

'7. A steam iron comprising a handle, a tank adapted to receive liquid, a heel rest on which said iron may be up-ended, there being an opening formed through the portion of the handle adjacent the nose of the iron, a tubular extension 4 Y carried by the top of said tank and disposed in said opening, a tube having an inlet opening and rotatably mounted in said extension, a spring biasing said tube to a first position of concealment within said extension, and a manipulating knob secured to, and rotatable with, said tube for pulling said tube outwardly from said extension to a second position in which said inlet opening is exposed,l said knob being adapted to abut against a surface of the adjacent portion ofsaid handle when said tube is in said second position to retain said tube in said second position against the tension of said spring.

8. In a steam iron including 'a tank adapted to receive liquid to be vaporized, and a heel-rest on which said iron may be up-ended, means for said opening is exposed, and means for nor-- mally biasing said tubular member to said rst position.

9. In a steam iron including a handle, a tank adapted to receive liquid to be vaporized, and a heel-rest on which said iron may be up-ended, means for4 introducing liquid into said tank including a tubular member having an inlet opening in a wall thereof, said opening beingk so located that, when said iron is up-ended said opening faces upwardly, said tubular member being also movable laterally of the up-ended iron into a iirst position in which said opening is concealed, and into a second position in which said opening is exposed, means biasing said tubular member to said rst position, and a rotatable manipulating knob carried by said tubular member, said knob being adapted, when said tubular member is in said second position, to be rotated about the axis of said tubularymember to engage a portion of said handle to maintain said tubular member in said second position against the action cofl said spring.

contain liquid .and provided with an inlet spaced from the rear end of the tank, and a heel rest upon which said iron may be up-ended while 1iq uid is poured into the tank through said inlet, said iron being further provided with means forming, when the iron is up-ended, an air pocket open at the bottom and disposed within the tank opening. and having an outlet opening which. when said iron is up-ended on said heel rest is below the upper portion of said tank whereby when lliquid is poured into said tank, an air pocket at least partly below the liquid level to which 4 the tank may be lled through said inlet to limit the amount of liquid that can be introduced into the tank to substantially less than the total capacity thereof.

11. The combination with a steam iron hav ing a tank adapted to receive liquid and having an inlet spaced from the rear end thereof, and a heel rest on which said iron may be up-ended While liquid is being poured into the tank, of.

means operative, when the iron is up-ended and liquid is poured into the tank, to form an air pocket within the tank to limit the amount of liquid that can be introduced into the tank to substantially less than the total capacity thereof, said means comprising a cup-shaped baille disposed within said tank and having one end open, said baille being so arranged that, when said iron is up-ended, the open end of said baille will face downwardly, whereby as the liquid level rises, said open end is engulfed, and an air pocket is formed in the upper portion of said baie to prevent the liquid from completely filling said baille.

12. The combination with a steam iron having a tank adapted to receive liquid, and a heel rest on which said iron may be up-ended while liquid is being poured into said tank, of a tube communicating with said tank and having an inlet is formed within the upper portion of said tank. and means forming an auxiliary air pocket within said tank when same is up-ended on said heel rest, to limit the amount of liquid that can be introduced into said tank to substantially less than total capacity thereof.

13. A steam iron comprising a tank adapted to receive liquid, a handle, a heel rest on which said iron may. be up-ended when liquid is being poured into said tank, there being an opening formed through the portion of the handle adjacent the nose of said iron, a tubular extension carried by the top of said tank and disposed in said opening, a tube having an inlet opening in one side adjacent one end thereof, said opening facing the nose of said iron, and means for moving said tube tol a first position in which said opening is disposed within said extension, and to a second position in which said opening is disposed externally of said extension so that liquid may be supplied thereinto, and through said tube into said tank.

ELDRED O. MORTON.

ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,279,215 Theilgaard Apr. 7, 1942 2,322,593 Riddington et al. Jurie 22, 1943 

